Flash floods transformed streets into rivers in the Italian town of Chiavari, located east of Genoa, as much of Europe grapples with severe weather events following intense heatwaves.
In Chiavari, footage showed vehicles navigating deeply flooded streets, with water submerging car grilles and entering buildings. Residents were seen wading through knee-deep water. Meteorologists reported that 126 millimeters of rain fell on the town since 6 a.m. local time. A yellow weather warning was issued for the Liguria region, which includes Genoa and Chiavari.
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Storms Batter Germany
Across Germany, severe storms have caused significant damage and claimed at least one life. In Waldorf, Rhineland-Palatinate, a 58-year-old woman was fatally injured when a tree fell on a seating area where she and a 47-year-old companion had sought shelter from the storm. The companion sustained serious injuries and was hospitalized.
A tornado struck the town of Fürstenwalde, east of Berlin, tearing off roofs and damaging cars. One person was injured in the incident. In Höhr-Grenzhausen, storms damaged buildings, uprooted trees, and caused a widespread power outage. Strong winds also overturned a truck on the A61 highway.
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In Hesse, about 60 houses were damaged in Wetzlar. The German Weather Service has warned of further severe storms, particularly in southern Germany.
Balkans Wildfires Persist Amid Heatwave
While Germany experienced storms with cooler temperatures, southeastern Europe continued to face searing heat and raging wildfires. In Serbia, a Russian firefighting plane has been deployed to combat wildfires that have devastated a nature reserve. The fire in Deliblatska Pescara, which initially erupted a month ago, reignited in early August and has since engulfed thousands of acres.
Croatian firefighters from Dubrovnik joined efforts to contain a fire near the Bosnian border, a response aimed at preventing its spread towards the UNESCO-protected medieval city. Regional firefighting commanders described the ongoing efforts as challenging due to the fire's size and the inaccessible terrain.